Many books now tell us what to eat or when not to eat, how to observe “sacred times” or generate mystical experiences, but in Christ we sever both our bondage to the world and our tendency to think that a guru’s orders will save us. Ruben Rosario Rodriguez’s “Calvin for the World” takes readers on an unusual look at John Calvin as “a humanistic reformer whose ecclesiastical and civil polity wanted ‘every resident of Geneva integrated into a caring community,’”

The late Warren Wiersbe, a prolific author of more than 170 books, never seemed keen on writing with his grandson Dan Jacobsen. Following Wiersbe’s death in May 2019, the family discovered a dusty manila file folder among the thousands of files Wiersbe left behind. In it was a manuscript, 80 percent complete, perhaps begun in 2012 when Wiersbe was in his early 80s.

(ANALYSIS) In the company of endless superhero comics and Japanese pirate manga lives a delightfully sizable population of religious graphic novels. This is fitting, as perhaps the oldest comics are religious. Regardless of intention, what do ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics read like if not a comic strip? Here’s a look at three stories that touch upon faith.

(REVIEW) Many of us might be acquainted with conventional narratives that combine 19th century colonialism and Christianity with cultural suppression and forced conversion in Asian territories where local inhabitants fought back intruders and crushed evangelical missions. Thailand, however, has a different history.

(ANALYSIS) Daniel Silliman’s “One Last Soul: Richard Nixon’s Search for Salvation” (Eerdman’s, 2024) is a well-written biography of the president who won a 49-state reelection victory in 1972 and resigned in disgrace two years later. Silliman’s scenes include Nixon as a 22-year-old working in his dad’s store “peeling grimy leaves off the lettuce and picking out the bruised fruit, which was starting to decay."

(REVIEW) Most people working in recent decades in America’s growing movement for international religious freedom are little-known except by those personally involved activists and academics. One whose name and work has generally not been recognized outside these circles is Knox Thames. This is principally because he has worked close to the heart of things, usually in government circles.

(REVIEW) Over the past four years, PornHub — one of the most-visited sites on the internet — has faced a reckoning of epic proportions. Efforts spearheaded by sex-trafficking activist Laila Mickelwait are the reason behind this reckoning, recounted in Mickelwait’s new book “Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down PornHub for Child Abuse, Rape and Sex Trafficking.”

Julia Hanlon Rubio begins her book, “Can You Be a Catholic and a Feminist?” with the conundrum that women are senators, Supreme Court justices, presidential candidates, world-class athletes, CEOs, professors and artists — yet how is it possible that the Catholic Church underutilizes women’s gifts?

Throughout the United States, Christian nationalism has left in its wake broken communities and churches. Both those who subscribe to it and those who disagree are often left hurt and embarrassed. As the movement grew within his own church, Pastor Caleb Campbell set out to understand Christian nationalism’s appeal and how to help Christians minister to their friends and family committed to it.

(ANALYSIS) Elizabeth Neumann’s “Kingdom of Rage” shows, as its subtitle states, “The Rise of Christian Extremism and the Path Back to Peace.” She said the development of in-groups is natural, but “the problem arises when a group begins constructing narratives about an out-group’s … beliefs, traits and practices, relying on information that may be unreliable, exaggerated or based solely on an in-group member’s negative experience with the out-group.”

(REVIEW) “Conclave,” the fictional thriller that outlines the Catholic process of selecting a new pope, does the audience the service of stating its intended message outright. In a controversial homily that begins the proceedings, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence declares that “certainty is the great enemy of unity.” The movie also goes on to demonstrate that lesson in a variety of ways, as conspiracy abounds and tension grows.

What intrigued Ma was that they weren’t trying to get people to agree with each other, but to respect each other, which is one of our nation’s biggest issues, especially in light of the upcoming presidential election. Initially, the filmmakers suggested assembling a group of multiple faith leaders from all over the country, but it was eventually changed so that all the participants lived in the same city.

(REVIEW) Hellboy is an odd character with a bumpy cinematic history. Based on a comic book series, Hellboy is the son of a demon and a witch who was brought from hell into the world by Nazis. He was rescued and raised by Professor Broom of the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) who became his surrogate father and trained to help save the world from monsters. 

(REVIEW) Forgiveness is widely considered one of the most difficult things to do in life — particularly when it comes to the relationship between parents and children. This is probably why so many films deal with the idea of reconciling with one’s parents. “Exhibiting Forgiveness” does a great job of honestly wrestling with the hardest questions around forgiveness.

(ANALYSIS) Back in August, IllumiNative released a study that described how Native-led shows like “Reservation Dogs" had a positive effect on viewers, showing that Native-led projects are not only in demand but proving to be educational and impactful. Viewers who watched the aforementioned Native-led shows were more likely to agree with policies that support and center Indigenous voices.

(REVIEW) Unlike exorcism movies, which have largely gone unchanged since the 1973 film ‘The Exorcist,” vampire films have gone through interesting cycles of evolution. While vampires originally were portrayed as evil, alien creatures, franchises such as “Twilight” and “The Vampire Diaries” showed them as hot antiheroes and even — at times — as wholesome and misunderstood. 

The second season of “Rings of Power” is far from perfect. But the finale pays off its themes in surprisingly satisfying ways, making it far more faithful to J.R.R Tolkien than its most ardent detractors will admit. To say that “Rings of Power” is controversial would be an understatement. Since its premiere, the series has fallen afoul of the culture wars online.

(REVIEW) Presented as an offbeat rom-com, “Between the Temples” contains a depth of feeling and personal reflection that’s admirable. It’s a must-see for many reasons, and only one of them is its central romance. It’s also a hilarious misadventure, a reflection on life and relationships and the beautiful journey two people take to rediscovering faith.

(ANALYSIS) Two recent events have made major headlines in the faith-based film industry. The first was the dominance of faith-based, politically right-wing films at the domestic box office. The second was Dallas Jenkins’ announcement that his “The Chosen” TV series about Jesus was expanding into a whole “The Chosen” universe of shows.

(REVIEW) The “Beetlejuice” sequel shows that Tim Burton continues to present religious themes, such as when Beetlejuice makes the sign of the cross and immediately catches on fire. Also, the movie expands the afterlife and shows how there are places beyond the waiting room and hallways we were shown in the first movie.

(REVIEW) In “Joseph Smith and the Mormons,” Van Sciver has cautiously critiqued Mormonism and has earned that critique by the genuine effort to pursue empathy and the effort to understand what factually occurred. What it lacks in the brevity and accessibility which characterize most comics, it makes up for with its beauty and integrity.

Ahead of the beginning of the Jubilee of Hope in 2025, the Dicastery for Evangelization is hosting various events, including concerts and exhibitions. In a press conference, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-prefect of the Dicastery, outlined the itinerary for some of the upcoming events. Another major event ahead of the Jubilee is the exhibition of various rare icons from the Vatican Museums.

(ANALYSIS) If you’ve spent time on Facebook, you may have noticed photorealistic images that are too good to be true: children holding paintings that look like the work of professional artists, or majestic log cabin interiors that are the stuff of Airbnb dreams. Others, such as renderings of Jesus made out of crustaceans, are just bizarre.

(ANALYSIS) A sculpture of the Virgin Mary showing her giving birth to Jesus was recently attacked and beheaded. Called “Crowning” by the artist Esther Strauss, the sculpture had been part of a temporary exhibition of art outside the Catholic St. Mary Cathedral in Linz, Austria. The sculpture was controversial for its explicit depiction of birth; an online petition seeking its removal received more than 12,000 signatures.

(REVIEW) The England–Wales border is dotted with ancient churches, many of which have not heard a sermon or hymn in decades. They are the lonely stone relics of declining rural communities where faith has all but faded away. Since 1957, Friends of Friendless Churches has cared for many of these places of worship, working to protect their rich history and architectural legacy.

Skillet frontman John Cooper says the band wants a revolution. And from recent indications on Apple Music, fans agree. The band has a new album called "Revolution" that's coming in November, but its first single debuted at No. 1 on the Apple iTunes rock and music video charts in August. Ironically, the song is called “Unpopular."

(ANALYSIS) American gospel musician Kirk Franklin and his Maverick City shook off negative perceptions from Kenyan skeptics to stage a show. As fans gathered at the Ulinzi Stadium in Nairobi to dance to Franklin, critics chose to stay away. Those who believe they are defenders of the Christian faith warned that Franklin was no longer representative of Jesus.

Bocelli is often referred to as the most world-famous Italian national alive, which is not surprising if you think that he has managed to sell more than 90 million albums worldwide in a career that spans over 25 years. Motivated by his Christian faith, Bocelli's ability to connect with audiences worldwide has made him an international star.

Taking a different route early on could have led to a standard work week, he said, while still serving in a local church, perhaps as a worship leader. Something with music would certainly have been in his life such as giving lessons, as his 85-year-old dad still does at Chapman Music in Paducah, Kentucky. He remains in demand as another tour is set to begin.

The show is a revival of the 1959 original, composed by Mary Rodgers and written by Marshall Barer, Jay Thompson and Dean Fuller. The new version, directed by Lear deBessonet, features an updated book by Amy Sherman-Palladino — perhaps best known in these pages for creating "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — that preserves the comedy and spunk of the original while updating the script to be more modern and gender-inclusive.

Nick Saban — who adopted two children, Nicholas and Kristen, with his wife, Terry, and “adopted” hundreds more as a coach — drew a sellout crowd to Faulkner University’s annual benefit dinner, which celebrated heroes of adoption and foster care. Saban, a college football legend, retired from coaching and now works as a TV analyst for ESPN's “College GameDay,”

(INTERVIEW) For the first time since 2009, the New York Yankees have made it to the World Series, where they will play an erstwhile favorite team of New York Jews, the Los Angeles Dodgers, formerly of Brooklyn. The fabled New York history of America’s pastime deserves another look as the Yankees and Dodgers face off in the 2024 World Series, a bicoastal series that will showcase the best of baseball.  

The pontiff reflected on his own memories of playing soccer as a child in Argentina. Francis also described sports as an experience of the “sense of fraternity,” because friends would play “knowing only opponents on the field, never enemies.” Sports offer lessons in life, he added, as players learn from the highs of winning, the effort it takes to win, and the loss of defeat.

To understand why Jews love the New York Mets so much requires a Talmudic understanding of New York City history, sports history and Jewish psychology. It’s also about the DNA of baseball and Brooklyn in the 1950s; being called “amazin’” when you’re actually the worst team around, and disappointing fans so often that reveling in your losses becomes a badge of honor.

Hank Greenberg was also Jewish, and he is often called America’s first Jewish sports superstar. As Greenberg wrote in his autobiography, that was not an easy honor to bear. Greenberg played during a time of rising antisemitism, and the cruel taunts he suffered from players and fans lasted throughout his career. Here's a look back at the man known as the "The Hebrew Hammer."

(REVIEW) “Do Right: The Stallings Standard” is a heartfelt documentary that focuses on the life of former football coach Gene Stallings. The film primarily shows his time as head coach with Texas A&M University (1965-1971) and the University of Alabama (1990-1996). However, the film goes deeper than just football.

A new picture book is telling the story of a girl who takes her Jewish faith into her own hands, one swing of a plastic white ball at a time. “Ping-Pong Shabbat” recounts the true story of Estee Ackerman, a Modern Orthodox ping pong sensation from Long Island. At 11, Ackerman refused to play the final round of the U.S. National Ping Pong Championships because the match landed on Shabbat.

Serbian judo star Nemanja Majdov was slapped with a five-month ban for making the sign of the cross before he competed at the recent Paris Olympics. He was accused by the International Judo Federation of violating its code of conduct for “having shown a clear religious sign when entering the field of play” and barred from participating in tournaments and other events.

(ANALYSIS) Numerous high-profile sporting stars talk openly about the importance of religion to their careers, including England soccer stars Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka. World heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury credits his Catholic faith with bringing him back from addiction. It is sports, and its “gods” like Fury, that attracts far greater devotion among much of the public.

The exemption, the appellate court affirmed, does not violate the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law or the First Amendment’s establishment clause, which prohibits the government from establishing a particular religion.

(ANALYSIS) Several important threads have combined over the centuries to give rise to the Holy Grail metaphor commonly used nowadays. These include elements of pre-Christian mythology, the veneration of relics in Christian tradition, and medieval literature from Great Britain and France.

The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-1 in Phoenix, but Jewish fans might care less about the outcome than about a rare phenomenon in baseball history — an all-Jewish battery. Phillies Jewish pitcher Max Lazar made his major-league debut in the bottom of the 7th inning, throwing to Jewish catcher Garrett Stubbs, and got Kevin Newman to fly out to right field to end the inning. He returned in the 8th inning and retired all three batters, including Joc Pederson, who struck out.

Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics, always envisioned the Games as much more than the sum of their parts. “Olympism,” as he coined it, was a new type of religion — one shorn of gods, yet transcendent all the same. To Coubertin, honing an athlete’s body and mind for peak performance in a competition was a way of “realizing perfection.” He called this a new “religio athletae,” or “religion of athletics.”

Fallout from the “Last Supper” scene during the Opening Ceremony at the Paris Olympics spilled over into a second week after bishops from around the world — and even the Vatican — issued statements calling out the display as offensive to Christians everywhere. The Holy See said ir was “saddened” by the display, while others called on the IOC to “repudiate this blasphemous action.”

(ANALYSIS) The shot shared ‘round the world following the Olympics Opening Ceremonies was actually a brief matter of seconds in a four-hour live presentation. Whether it was — in fact — a shot at Christ and his followers using Leonardo da Vinci's iconography or just a misunderstood tableau for the feast of Dionysus, as the show producers claim, the moment is better understood in motion, as video shows better than stills.

His Instagram account proclaims “GOD FIRST!” and U.S. Olympic swimmer Hunter Armstrong tries to be faithful to that description whether he’s winning gold medals or not in Paris this summer. “That’s the first thing I want people to see and know about me,” he said. “As we grow, we have to make sure we have our priorities in line. I keep God as a priority. I can’t really live without Him. I can live without swimming or being an Olympian or any of that stuff.”

A dance troupe performing at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics drew the ire of Christians around the world after they appeared to mock Jesus and the Last Supper. The festivities drew controversy when a group of performers — including drag queens — struck poses behind what looked like a long table.

(ANALYSIS) Sadly, France has barred its athletes from wearing a hijab while taking part in the Paris-based Olympic and Para-Olympic games. In so doing it continues its radical campaign to ban religion from anything other than the most private matters. This ban does not apply to athletes from other countries, and many women participants from the Muslim world will have still their heads covered, even though their own country, unlike France, might not require it.

Olympic wrestler Aaron Brooks holds nothing back. You don’t have to encounter Brooks long to know the top priority in his life. His Instagram posts regularly reference Scripture verses. In his media interviews, he frequently and repeatedly talks about his commitment to Christ, sometimes while wearing a headband with the phrase “100% Jesus.”

Disappointed in her performance at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Alison Gibson said goodbye to diving for good. At least, that was her intention. She officially retired and began what she considered to be a “normal” life — working, making money, having free time. “I felt like I let my country down, let my friends down,” Gibson said. “It was just like a really gut-wrenching feeling.”

Players shared hugs and smiles on the infield clay. The occasion marked a first national championship for the University of Tennessee baseball team — and for freshman Hunter High, a member of the Brentwood Hills Church of Christ in Nashville. High said he always prays the same thing before games, telling God, “You are good. Whatever happens in this game, let it be your will. Without you, I am nothing.”

(ANALYSIS) As the sporting world and fans await the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Paralympic Games, eight Catholic dioceses in Greater Paris have already ignited their own Olympic flame by organizing the “Holy Games.” The project is a collaboration between the Archdiocese of Paris and the French Bishops Conference.

From his grandparent’s home in Germany to Texas soccer arenas, from rage at God to full-time ministry, the Rev. Rene’ Devantier’s journey from unbelief to faith has led him to vow that everyone feels welcome at Fowler United Methodist Church. Born in Berlin, Germany, to parents too young to care for him, one of Devantier’s earliest memories is of Child Protective Services coming to his home.

(ANALYSIS) The Edmonton Oilers showcase a worldview in which triumph, luck and rugged work pay off — beliefs at home on the ice or in the oil field. The Stanley Cup Final offers a glimpse into how the oil industry has helped shaped the religious fervor around Canada’s favorite sport.

Joe Mazzulla woke up on Tuesday morning an NBA champion. It has been a very long and unlikely success story rooted in faith. Mazzulla — whose only head coaching experience before taking over the Boston Celtics in the fall of 2022 was at the NCAA Division II level — guided the team to a record 18th NBA championship after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games.

The Watsons serve with the IMB in Germany. They host people in their homes and provide a safe space for frank questions and vulnerability in conversation. Fredrik attended a Bible study in their home. He asked direct and complex questions, but Asa didn’t balk and took the time to answer thoughtfully. Fredrik told them he wasn’t encouraged to ask questions about faith when he was younger. Asa’s willingness to address his questions made him excited and willing to hear more.

(ANALYSIS) The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have sparked a discussion about whether female Muslim athletes who wear a headscarf should be allowed to compete. While the International Olympic Committee announced that athletes participating in the Paris Games can wear a hijab without any restriction, French athletes will be barred from wearing a hijab.

Thousands of people from across the globe will descend on the city that’s home to the Eiffel Tower for the Olympics. The IMB has ministered at many Olympics, and volunteers who’ve traveled to the global cities have long been crucial to its ministry strategy. While ministry has been successful, interactions are often fleeting as visitors scatter. That’s where digital engagement strategies come in.

The Great Supper is the name Christians in Brazil’s northeastern state of Paraiba give to their annual gathering. And this year, the 25th Great Supper brought 120 believers, representing 14 Churches of Christ, to the city of Cajazeiras. They shared more than a meal, said Mike Pruitt, a longtime missionary in Recife, a coastal city about 340 miles east of Cajazeiras.

A Lifeway Research study of both U.S. Protestant pastors and churchgoers found most in both groups believe it’s OK to miss church occasionally for a kid’s game or travel sporting event, but those in the pews are laxer on the issue than those behind the pulpit. More than one in three Protestant pastors say it’s never OK to skip a weekly worship service for kid’s games or travel sporting events.